[TenTec] Solid State Amps

[Ron Castro]

Tom:  Those some of the many good reasons for no-tune/auto-tune amps. 
Contesters, DX'ers who hop band-to-band, even casual operators who just want 
to "point and shoot", making the amp a true extension of the transceiver.

A growing trend is remote operation due to oppressive CC&R's, local tower 
regulations and litigious neighbors.  Lots of all of those here in CA!  Hams 
are starting to rent small chunks of farm land, put up a tower and container 
or small building.  Containers are cheap and secure, and can be purchased 
with air conditioning, fans, lights, power wiring and connections, roll-up 
doors and much more.  They reduce RFI problems and can be made relatively 
lightning-proof.

TT has experience in SS amps, and I would love to see them come out with a 
state of the art product.  The Japanese have never come close to Americans 
when it comes to amplifiers.  Great names like Collins, Drake, Heath, Ten 
Tec, ETO/Alpha, BTI, Amp Supply, Henry, Dentron, Swan and others I have 
forgotten, always had the 'big iron' the JA's could never duplicate!

Ron Castro
Chief Technical Officer
Results Radio, LLC


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <CATFISHTWO at aol.com>
To: <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2006 6:02 PM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Solid State Amps


>
> In a message dated 7/16/2006 4:27:23 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
> k5uj at hotmail.com writes:
>
> I'm not  sure how many hams want a no-tune amp--tuning a tube plate to low 
> Z
> doesn't really bother me that much, in fact I prefer to do it myself, not
> trusting some logic circuit to tune and load for me.  however I know  one 
> of
> the great things about the PW-1 is that it follows the icom  exciters 
> making
> them 1 kw transceivers which I must admit is pretty  nice.   Also, it's
> easier to remote the amp when it's  no-tune.   But I think a lot of hams 
> make
> buying decisions based  primarily on the purchase cost.   Since they 
> aren't
> transmitting  around the clock every day of the year, operating costs 
> aren't
> that much  of a consideration.    If I transmitted all the time, a 90%
> efficient s.s. tx would be attractive to me.  So, in other words, I
> understand the broadcast industry moving to s.s. but their reasons mostly 
> do
> not apply to hams, at least for now.   If a s.s. 1.5 kw ham  amp or even a 
> 1
> kw ham amp can hit the $3K mark, then things will  change.
>
>
>
> =====================================================
>
> I have several solid state amps, a als 600, Ic2-kl and also several tube
> amps, a alpha 76 and an alpha 87 a. the one I use most is the alpha 87a. 
> It is
> auto tune and tied together with the 3 ele steppir, and the Orion and my 
> logger
> and I can literally point and soot .  If I click on a telnet spot , the 
> amp
> the radio and the antenna all tune there, and I make the contact.  Very
> nice, and convenient.
>
> I also had  a separate IC 2-KL for my 756 and an at500 so that  was 600
> watts  auto tune and sold them and kept the 746pro with my other  2-kl and 
> at 500,
> so 3 of my hf rigs in the shack have autotune or auto band  switching 
> amps
> attached.
>
> I have had in the past  every thing from sweep tube amps, and several
> Clipperton L's and a couple of 811 H's  and als 500's and more.  I  talked 
> with
> Elcraft about their new amp about this time last year but I guess  they 
> are still
> waiting for the FCC ok on it before going into production. .
>
> I know there is a " mystique" to the art of tuning an amp with the "dip 
> the
> plate, peak the load "  but it gets old real fast  shooting dx or in a
> contest. I love the quiet switching on the orion and the alpha so working 
> vox  there
> is no click-clack, you just talk and it is either on or off. nice, like
> talking to someone sitting next to you.
>
> I would have bought the elcraft but I wanted one this past spring so I
> bought the Alpha 87 A and I really love it now.  I would certainly  use  a 
> legal
> limit solid state amp  but they have to ship it  first...
>
> any one to buy the alpha 76 A, manual tune, about 1200-1300 watts , local
> pick up please, $900 .. I don't use it much any more.
>
> tom N6AJR
>
>
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